Yarn feed module for tufting machine

ABSTRACT

A yarn feed mechanism for a tufting machine having a plurality of needles for tufting yarns through a moving base fabric. The feed mechanism includes a module supporting a yarn feed roll, rotary clutches and drive transmission, detachably secured to a drive housing for drive coupling with at least two drive shafts in order to selectively drive the feed roll at different speeds.

United States Patent Hammel, Jr. Nov. 12, 1974 [5 YARN FEED MODULE FOR TUFTING 3,435,787 4/1969 Short 112/79 A CHINE 3,489,326 l/1970 Singleton.... 112/79 A 3,605,660 9/1971 Short 112/79 A [75] Inventor: Wallace W. Hammel, Jr., East 3,752,094 8/1973 Short 112/79 A Ridge, Tenn. Assigneez Card & Co, Inc. Chattanooga Primary ExaminerWerner Schroeder T Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Harrington A. Lackey [22] Filed: July 23, 1973 57 C ABSTRA T [21] Appl. No.: 381,866 1 A ya rn feed rneehanlsm for a tuftmg mach ne havlng a plurality of needles for tufting yarns through a moving [5?] US. Cl 112/79 A base f b i The f d mechanism indudes a moduk [51] Int. Cl. D05c 15/32 supporting a yam f d r0", rotary clutches and drive Fleld of Search 112/79 79 R1 410 transmission, detachably secured to a drive housing for drive coupling with at least two drive shafts in References C'ted order to selectively drive the feed roll at different UNITED STATES PATENTS speeds.

3,075,482 l/1963 Card 112/79 A 3,103,187 (M963 9 Claims, 7 Drawmg Figures Hammel, .lr 112/79 R PAIENIEB luv 12 m4 SHEET 10F 3 YARN FEED MODULE FOR TUFTING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a tufting machine, and more particularly to a yarn feed mechanism for a tufting machine.

In U.S. Pat. No. 2,862,465 of J. L. Card, issued Dec. 2, 1958, a yarn feed mechanism is described in which a plurality of yarn feed rolls are individually clutch controlled by a pattern control mechanism so that each of the plurality of feed rolls is driven at different speeds, independently of any of the other feed rolls. Each roll is adapted to control the speed of a yarn to a particular row of stitching within a repeat pattern, in order to effect the tufting of a rather intricate pattern in high and low nap tufted fabrics. However, each feed roll is mounted upon a shaft extending perpendicularly to the row of needles, and each shaft carries a high speed clutch and a low speed clutch. All of the high speed clutches are driven by chain and sprocket mechanisms from a high speed shaft, while all of the low speed clutches are driven by another chain and sprocket mechanism from a low speed shaft.

In the operation of the above described J. L. Card tufting machine, the electromagnetic clutch members wear out or become defective before the other moving parts. In order to repair or replace such clutch members, considerable disassembly of the drive mechanism for the yarn feed must be carried out before the clutches can be replaced. Accordingly, the downtime of such a machine is excessive, sometimes being as great as a half a day or a day.

One attempt to reduce this down-time resulted in a Clutch-in-Roll yarn feed mechanism described in British patent 1,126,410, Aug. 14, 1967 of Singer- Cobble Limited. The Clutch-in-Roll improvement included at least two drive shafts driven at different speeds, each of which carries for rotation independently of the drive shaft a yarn feed roll, the yarn feed rolls being coupled together for simultaneous rotation by meshing ring gears. Electromagnetic clutches within the yarn feed roll are selectively energized, one at a time, to create operative engagement between one feed roll and its corresponding shaft. However, a plurality of the feed rolls and their clutch members are mounted on a single shaft section, the shaft sections being coupled end-to-end, so that a shaft section may be removed for inspection, repair or replacement. Even though the British mechanism reduces the down-time, nevertheless problems still arise in handling such large numbers of feed rolls and clutch mechanisms on a single shaft section. For example, if after the shaft section is removed and replaced by another shaft section, the clutch mechanism in the middle feed roll of the shaft section is defective, then all of the remaining feed rolls and clutch members between the defective unit and the end of the shaft section must first be removed before the problem can be diagnosed and remedied.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a yarn feed mechanism for a tufting machine incorporating a plurality of modules, each of which supports only a single feed roll, or a single set of feed rolls, for detachable driving engagement with a permanent drive mechanism.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved yarn feed mechanism incorporating clutch modules for individual feed rolls in which the modules may be so rapidly replaced that the down-time is insignificant.

The yarn feed mechanism made in accordance with this invention includes a drive housing incorporating a number of parallel drive shafts, equal to the number of desired speeds, extending the entire width of the machine parallel to the line of needles. Upon each drive shaft is fixed a drive coupling member, such as a drive gear, there being one drive gear on each shaft for each module. Detachably secured to the face of the housing is a clutch module or module frame supporting at least one yarn feed roll and at least two clutch members, preferably electromagnetic clutches, one of which is preferably incorporated within the yarn feed roll. Each clutch member is driven by its own drive transmission mounted on the clutch module and including a driven coupling member, such as a driven gear at the rear end of the module which is in registry with and adapted to be drivingly engaged by the corresponding drive gear on the corresponding drive shaft in the drive housing, when the module is inserted in operative position. The electromagnetic clutches are energized one at a time by a pattern control mechanism so that the yarns carried by the set of yarn feed rolls on each module are driven at one of several speeds, but independently of the speed of the yarn feed rolls of any other module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary right end elevation of a tufting machine incorporating the yarn feed mechanism made in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the drive transmission at the left end of the machine, looking in the same direction as in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of the yarn feed mechanism, with some of the clutch modules removed;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 44 of FIG. 3, with the cover plate of the upper clutch module removed;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged section taken along the line 77 of FIG. 5

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings in more detail, FIG. I discloses a typical multiple-needle tufting machine 10 including a frame 11, supporting a plurality of needles 12 disposed in a line transversely of the machine 10 for vertical reciprocal movement through a base fabric 13 moving longitudinally through the machine 10 in the direction of the arrow. Each needle 12 cooperates with a looper or hook 14 for forming the tufted stitches through the base fabric 13. The needles l2 and loopers 14 aresynchronously reciprocated, in a manner wellknown in the art, from the needle shaft 15.

The yarn feed mechanism 17 made in accordance with this invention includes a drive housing 18.

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line 55 of FIG. I

Although two or more drive shafts may be rotatably supported in the drive housing 18, two sets of three drive shafts are illustrated in the drawings. The upper set includes a top low speed shaft 20, a middle, intermediate speed shaft 21 and a bottom, high speed shaft 22. The lower set of three drive shafts 21' and 22' are identical to the upper set.

Fixed upon each drive shaft 20, 21 and 22 are drive gears 23, 24 and 25, respectively. The drive gears 23 25 are arranged in vertical sets, and as shown in the drawings, are of equal size.

1 Formed in the front wall 27 of the drive housing 18 is a vertical slot 28 adapted to register with each set of vertically spaced drive gears 23 25.

Adapted to be received within each vertical slot 28 is a clutch module 30 including a vertically disposed frame or plate 31. Mounted for rotation on the left side of the frame 31 and about axes parallel to the drive shafts 20 22 is a set or pair of yarn feed rolls, including the front feed roll 34 and the rear feed roll 33.

Mounted concentrically within each feed roll 33 and 34 respectively, is a low-speed, electromagnetic clutch member 35 and an intermediatespeed, rotary electromagnetic clutch member 36. A third or high-speed, rotary electromagnetic clutch member 37 is also rotatably mounted on shaft 38 on the left side of the module plate 31.

Yarn feed rolls 33 and 34 carry fixed ring gears 39 and 40 which intermesh with each other, so that both yarn feed rolls 33 and 34 are always driven at the same speed. Ring gear 40 also intermeshes with a ring gear 41 carried by the high-speed magnetic clutch member 37. Thus, when any one of the magnetic clutches 35, 36 or 37 is energized, it controls the speed ofthe yarn feed rolls 33 and 34. When the magnetic clutch 35 is energized, it is adapted to clutch or couple the'yarn feed roll 33 to its driven shaft 43. When the magnetic clutch 36 is energized, it is adapted to clutch or drivingly couple the yarn feed roll 34 to its driven shaft 44.

As best disclosed in FIG. 4, the upper driven shaft 38 is journaled in the module plate 31 and has its right end fixed to a driven sprocket 46 carrying an endless chain 47 trained about a drive sprocket 48 fixed to a shaft 49 carrying a driven gear 50. The shaft 49 is rotatably mounted adjacent the rear end of the module frame 31.

In a similar manner, driven shaft 44 is fixed to driven sprocket 51 driven through endless chain 52 from drive sprocket 53 fixed on rotary shaft 54 carrying the driven gear 55.

Also in a similar manner, driven shaft 43 carries sprocket 56 carrying endless chain 57 trained about drive sprocket 58 on rotary shaft 59 fixed to driven gear 60.

All of the driven gears 50, 55 and 60 are preferably equal in size, vertically spaced and in vertical alignment in such a manner that the gear teeth project rearward past the rear edge 62 of the module frame 31.

Spaced forward of the rear edge 62 and fixed to extend vertically and laterally from the left side of the frame 31 is a retainer flange 64. The spacing between the retainer flange 64 and the rear edge 62 defines a tongue portion of the frame 31 and is of such dimension that when the retainer flange 64 is flush against the front wall portion 27 and the tongue portion projects through the slot 28, all of the driven gears 50, 55 and 60 perfectly intermesh with the teeth of the drive gears 23, 24 and 25, respectively. The module 30 is held in its fixed operative position in driving engagement with the drive shafts 20, 21 and 22 by securing means, such as bolts 65 extending through registering bolt holes in the flange 64 and the front wall section 27.

The magnetic clutches 35, 36 and 37 may be of any conventional type. One specific type of electromagnetic clutch 36, which can be incorporated in the yarn feed mechanism 17, is best disclosed in FIG. 7. The electromagnetic clutch 36 includes a disc-shaped clutch armature 67, splined at 68 to hub 69, which is fixed to the driven shaft 44 by a pin or other securing means, so that the armature 67 may move axially of the shaft 44 and yet rotate with the shaft 44. The electromagnetic coil 70 is held in fixed position in a bracket 71 fixed to the frame 31. The clutch rotor 72 is fixed to the feed roll 34 and journaled in bearings 73 for relative independent rotation about the shaft 44. The clutch rotor 72 may be provided with an annular frictional surface 74 for engagement with the armature 67. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the armature 67 is engaging the clutch rotor 74 while the coil 70 is energized. When the coil 70 is de-energized, the armature 67 disengages the rotor 72 to permit the feed roll 34 to rotate independently of driven shaft 44.

Electrical current is supplied to the coil 70 through leads 77 terminating in detachable electrical connector 78. The connector 78 is adapted to electrically engage a cooperating connector 79 fixed to the front wall 27 of the drive housing 18. The connector 79 in turn is connected through the cable 80 to the switches in the switch box 91, which in turn is controlled by the pattern control mechanism 82.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate the drive train for the drive shafts 20 22 and 20' 22.

As best disclosed in FIG. 1, the intermediate-speed drive shafts 21 and 21 are connected through respective chain-and-sprocket transmissions 84 and 84' to a gear box 85, driven by chain-and-sprocket transmission 86 from a right-angle gear box 87, which in turn is driven from the needle shaft 15 by chain-and-sprocket transmission 88.

The low-speed shafts 20 and 20' and the high-speed shafts 22 and 22 are driven at the left end of the machine 10 as best disclosed in FIG. 2. The low-speed shafts 20 and 20 are driven through respective chainand-sprocket transmissions 90 and 90' from a smaller sprocket, not shown, on the opposite or left side of the gear box 91. The high-speed shafts 22 and 22 are driven from the right side of the box 91 by a larger sprocket 92 through chain-and-sprocket transmissions 93 and 93'. The input to the gear box 91 is produced through chain-and-sprocket transmission 94 from right-angle gear box 95, which in turn is driven by needle shaft 15 through chain-and-sprocket transmission 96.

In the operation of the tufting machine 10, all of the clutch modules 30 are inserted into the respective slots 28 and retained in operative position by each retaining flange 64 and bolts 65. All of the driven gears 50, 55 and 60 then intermesh with the corresponding drive gears 23, 24 and 25.'Yarns are fed from any source of supply, not shown, such as an overhead creel, down through the yarn guide 101, beneath the lower yarn feed roll 33, up between the feed rolls 33 and 34 and over the feed roll 34, and thence down through the upper guide 102 of the tube bank 103. The yarn tubes 104 then distribute the respective yarns 100 to corresponding needles 12 in the various repeat groups in the same manner that they are supplied to needles in the tufting machine disclosed in the Card US. Pat. No. 2,862,465.

After the machine is started to drive the needle shaft 15, and thereby reciprocate the needles l2 and loopers 14, the drive shafts 22 and 20' 22' are driven at their respective low, intermediate and high speeds. Because of the drive couplings with the drive gears 23, 24 and 25 through the various chain-and-sprocket transmissions 47, 52 and 57, respectively, the shafts 38, 44 and 43 are driven also at corresponding low, intermediate and high speeds. The pattern control mechanism 82 is so designed that only one electromagnetic clutch 35, 36 or 37 is energized at any one time, in order to engage the corresponding feed roll 33, 34 or high-speed clutch member 37 with corresponding shafts 43, 44 and 38. if the high-speed clutch 37 is actuated, then the clutches 36 and will be de-actuated so that the feed rolls 33 and 34 rotate independently of their respective shafts 43 and 44. However, the feed rolls 33 and 34 are driven together at the same speed by the high-speed clutch member 37 through the intermeshing teeth of the ring gears 41, 40 and 39. Thus, the yarn 100 will be fed to the needles at high-speed to form high tufted loops or cut pile.

By selectively energizing or actuating the other magnetic clutches, the yarn 100 will be fed at the corresponding low, intermediate, or high-speed to the needles 12.

Should one of the clutch members 35, 36 or 37 fail to function properly, only the module 30 upon which the defective member is mounted is removed from its corresponding slot 28. This removal is effected quite rapidly by merely removing the bolts 65 and slipping the entire frame out through the slot 28. A spare module 30 is then inserted into the empty slot 28 and attached by bolts 65 in a matter of minutes. The defective module 30 may then be worked on independently of the functioning of the tufting machine 10.

Thus, by incorporating the yarn feed mechanism 17, including the clutch modules 30 in the tufting machine 10, and having on hand a few spare modules 30, the down-time of the machine 10 is appreciably reduced and production correspondingly increased.

What is claimed is:

1. In a tufting machine having a plurality of reciprocal needles operative to stitch yarns through a base fabric, a yarn feed mechanism comprising:

a. a drive housing of substantial length having a front wall portion,

b. at least two drive shafts rotatably mounted in said housing,

c. a rotary drive coupling member driven by each of said drive shafts at a speed proportional to the speed of said corresponding drive shaft,

d. a plurality of module frames, each module frame having front and rear end portions and a width substantially less than the length of said drive housing,

-e. a yarn feed roll rotatably mounted on each of said module frames,

f. at least two rotary clutch members mounted on each of said module frames,

g. means operatively coupling said rotary clutch members to said yarn feed roll for selective driving of said feed roll,

h. means for selectively actuating only one clutch member at a time,

i. at least two rotary driven coupling members mounted on the rear end portion of each of said module frames, each of said driven coupling members being adapted to register with and drivingly engage a corresponding drive coupling member, in operative position, and to drivingly disengage said drive coupling member in inoperative position,

j. drive transmission means on each of said module frames drivingly connecting each of said driven coupling members to a corresponding clutch member,

k. detachable securing means on each of said module frames for attaching the rear end portion of each of said module frames to the front wall portion of said drive housing for driving engagement of each of said driven coupling members with a corresponding drive coupling member, in operative position, and for detaching the rear end portion of said module frame from said front wall portion for driving disengagement of the driven coupling members on said module frame from said corresponding drive coupling members, in inoperative position, and

. means for driving each of said drive shafts at a different speed so that each of said rotary clutch members in a module frame is driven at a corresponding different speed.

2. The invention according to claim 1 in which the front wall portion of said drive housing has a slot therein aligned with said drive coupling member, the rear end portion of said module frame comprising a tongue portion supporting said driven coupling member and being adapted to be inserted through said slot, and means on said module frame for limiting the entry of said tongue portion into said slot to said operative position in which said drive coupling member and driven coupling member drivingly engage.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said means for limiting the entry of said tongue portion comprises a flange projecting laterally from said module frame spaced forward of the rear end of said frame and adapted to fit flush against said front wall portion in operative position.

4. The invention according to claim 1 in which each clutch member is an electromagnetic clutch, and said means for selectively actuating said clutch members comprises an electrical pattern control means electrically connected to said electromagnetic clutches.

5. The invention according to claim 1 in which the rotary axes of said rotary clutch members are parallel to the rotary axis of said feed roll, and said feed roll and said clutch members are operatively coupled by intermeshing gears.

6. The invention according to claim 5 in which each of said drive transmission means comprises a driven sprocket coaxially fixed on said drive coupling member, a drive sprocket coaxially fixed on one of said rotary clutch members and a chain coupling said driven and drive sprockets.

7. The invention according to claim 5 in which said clutch members and said feed roll are in substantial mounted on the opposite side of said frame member.

9. The invention according to claim 1 in which each of said drive coupling members and driven coupling members is a gear, said corresponding drive and driven gears being adapted to drivingly intermesh in operative position.

I l i l 

1. In a tufting machine having a plurality of reciprocal needles operative to stitch yarns through a base fabric, a yarn feed mechanism comprising: a. a drive housing of substantial length having a front wall portion, b. at least two drive shafts rotatably mounted in said housing, c. a rotary drive coupling member driven by each of said drive shafts at a speed proportional to the speed of said corresponding drive shaft, d. a plurality of module frames, each module frame having front and rear end portions and a width substantially less than the length of said drive housing, e. a yarn feed roll rotatably mounted on each of said module frames, f. at least two rotary clutch members mounted on each of said module frames, g. means operatively coupling said rotary clutch members to said yarn feed roll for selective driving of said feed roll, h. means for selectively actuating only one clutch member at a time, i. at least two rotary driven coupling members mounted on the rear end portion of each of said module frames, each of said driven coupling members being adapted to register with and drivingly engage a corresponding drive coupling member, in operative position, and to drivingly disengage said drive coupling member in inoperative position, j. drive transmission means on each of said module frames drivingly connecting each of said driven coupling members to a corresponding clutch member, k. detachable securing means on each of said module frames for attaching the rear end portion of each of said module frames to the front wall portion of said drive housing for driving engagement of each of said driven coupling members with a corresponding drive coupling member, in operative position, and for detaching the rear end portion of said module frame from said front wall portion for driving disengagement of the driven coupling members on said module frame from said corresponding drive coupling members, in inoperative position, and l. means for driving each of said drive shafts at a different speed so that each of said rotary clutch members in a module frame is driven at a corresponding different speed.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 in which the front wall portion of said drive housing has a slot therein aligned with said drive coupling member, the rear end portion of said module frame comprising a tongue portion supporting said driven coupling member and being adapted to be inserted through said slot, and means on said module frame for limiting the entry of said tongue portion into said slot to said operative position in which said drive coupling member and driven coupling member drivingly engage.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said means for limiting the entry of said tongue portion comprises a flange projecting laterally from said module frame spaced forward of the rear end of said frame and adapted to fit flush against said front wall portion in operative position.
 4. The invention according to claim 1 in which each clutch member is an electromagnetic clutch, and said means for selectively actuating said clutch members comprises an electrical pattern control means electrically connected to said electromagnetic clutches.
 5. The invention according to claim 1 in which the rotary axEs of said rotary clutch members are parallel to the rotary axis of said feed roll, and said feed roll and said clutch members are operatively coupled by intermeshing gears.
 6. The invention according to claim 5 in which each of said drive transmission means comprises a driven sprocket coaxially fixed on said drive coupling member, a drive sprocket coaxially fixed on one of said rotary clutch members and a chain coupling said driven and drive sprockets.
 7. The invention according to claim 5 in which said clutch members and said feed roll are in substantial alignment in a front-to-rear vertical plane on each of said module frames.
 8. The invention according to claim 7 in which said module frame is substantially a planar frame member lying in a front-to-rear vertical plane, said clutch members and feed roll being mounted on one side of said frame member and said drive transmission means being mounted on the opposite side of said frame member.
 9. The invention according to claim 1 in which each of said drive coupling members and driven coupling members is a gear, said corresponding drive and driven gears being adapted to drivingly intermesh in operative position. 